An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus is designed to scan subjects via an ultrasound probe to obtain organism information and image the condition inside the subjects based on the obtained organism information. More specifically, the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus transmits control signals in relation to ultrasound scanning to the ultrasound probe, transmitting ultrasound to the subject through the ultrasound probe. In addition, the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus receives reflected waves from the subject through the ultrasound probe and obtains organism information regarding the condition inside the subject. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus produces ultrasound images based on the organism information.
The ultrasound probe is provided with an ultrasound search unit that transmits ultrasonic waves between a subject and the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound search unit has a piezoelectric body. The piezoelectric body is provided with a front electrode (for example, an earth electrode) on the front surface thereof on the side to which the ultrasonic waves are directed as well as a rear electrode (for example, a signal electrode) on the rear surface thereof. Also, the ultrasound probe is provided with a printed circuit board that is electrically connected to the piezoelectric body. The printed circuit board is provided with wiring patterns. The wiring patterns are connected to cables that transmit and receive signals to/from the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus main body through electronic circuits, electric circuits, or interfaces.
The rear electrode of the piezoelectric body of the ultrasound probe transmits and receives signals to/from the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus through the wiring pattern of the printed circuit board. For this operation, the printed circuit board is disposed on the rear surface side of the piezoelectric body, while the wiring pattern is directly or indirectly connected to the rear electrode. Also, the printed circuit board has a surface that faces the rear surface of the piezoelectric body and is extended to a cable side that is connected to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus main body. More specifically, the printed circuit board is bent toward the cable side, the electronic circuit side such as a transmission circuit, or the electric circuit.
In addition, the ultrasound probe has an ultrasound emitting surface in the shape of a flat surface, a curved surface, or a convex surface, but the shape can be arranged in many forms depending on the ultrasound to be used. The ultrasound emitting surface of the ultrasound probe corresponds to the arrangement of the ultrasound search unit; for example, in the ultrasound emitting surface of the ultrasound probe having a convexly curved surface, the central part of the element arrangement of the ultrasound search unit is arranged so as to expand as a curved surface toward a subject. Hereinafter, the ultrasound probe may simply be referred as a “convex array probe.”